1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a telephonic communications network and more particularly to a telephonic communications private network such as a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) Internet Protocol (IP) based network.
2. Background
State of the art communications servers such as a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) Internet Protocol (IP) based system have facilitated the convergence of voice and data communications, allowing businesses to bring voice and data systems together to form a seamless, efficient communications network. Typical communications servers, such as for example the Hicom 150H from Siemens Information and Communications Networks, Inc. (Siemens ICN), when supplemented with digital telephones, such as the Siemens family of Optiset® Digital Telephones, results in a full featured local telephone network.
In particular, users connected to such a full featured local telephone network can share both data and voice based information in applications across the existing network to improve productivity. State of the art local telephone networks are Local Area Network/Wide Area Network (LAN/WAN) based IP networks that are expanded easily, simply by adding extra IP telephones. Further, a user at a personal computer (PC) on the LAN/WAN can connect to the communications server and seamlessly communicate with other connected users. Thus, a private communications network that includes one of these state of the art communications servers provides user mobility and easy access for teleworking, as well as low cost voice over IP (VoIP) communications.
Normally, however, in order for the local telephone network users to have access to all of the communications server features, the users must have a high speed connection to the communications server, e.g., be connected to the LAN/WAN over a high speed broadband connection, such as a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or a cable modem line. These users with such a high speed connection can run a proprietary client application on a remote PC to communicate using VoIP.
Unfortunately, broadband is far from being universally available. Typically, the only available access to the communications server is by modem over a public switching telephone network (PSTN) or over a wireless device, e.g., a cell phone. Currently, neither hardware nor software is available in the prior art that makes all features of the communications server available to every user, including those users without a broadband connection. So, normally remote users cannot access all the features of the communications server.
Thus, there is a need to provide full access to all communications server features to remotely located users with a typical analog, land line or wireless connection.